If no one had fired the first shot at the battle of Lexington-Concord to start the American Revolution, one might think we'd all be living in a big, boring English country.

Saturday night's Battle of the Bands at the International Center proved "battle" wasn't an element needed to get something accomplished.

What was slated to be a competitive event between 11 East Lansing bands turned into meet-and-greet of local artists who performed for the crowd of an estimated 800 people.

Contest winners Ettison Clio seemed more honored to be on stage with so many local bands than to win.

"As the whole concept of 'battle' goes, I'm not a big fan," Ettison Clio guitarist and telecommunication senior Joseph Niemiec said. "I'm definitely glad to have shared the stage with the other bands."

Niemiec said many artists took the opportunity to check out others' wares.

"I was talking with a lot of bands and everyone was encouraging purchases of everyone else's merchandise, and checking out each others Web sites."

Ettison Clio took home $800 for its performance. But even the lure of cash prizes was not enough to provoke rivalry.

"The stakes were high, it was for a good deal of money," With Special Guest bassist and vocalist Keith May said. "But it was a pretty relaxed atmosphere. I don't think there was any real ego problems at all."

The English senior described the bands' interactions as open and friendly.

"The bands weren't not talking or just sticking to their own band," May said. "They were open, willing to talk to each other and were just having fun."

Though the bands might have been friendly and not competitive, contest judge and journalism freshman Michael Ludwig said Ettison Clio deserves credit for its performance.

Bands were judged on audience reception, stage performance and overall musicality and originality. Ludwig said Ettison Clio stood out from the rest.

"Every band was really good," Ludwig said. "It was really tough to judge them. Ettison Clio was really original. The audience really got into them. You could tell they were having a lot of fun out there. They were entertainers as well as musicians."

Ettison Clio was the last band to take the stage that night, which might have contributed to the crowd's enthusiasm. In contrast, the beginning of the show was marked by a lackluster crowd response.

Killer Miller manager Aaron Dare, whose band played fifth, said the audience sat down and was just "chilling."

"It was just different," the communication junior said. "It was weird. It was like, 'Lets check out this band and then go to Wendy's."

The Boll Weevils and El Presidente took second and third place respectively earning $400 and $200 for their efforts.